It sounds like you think movie acting is easy, Stim. My son is an actor. If you have seen any of the prominent actors in 2012 award nominated movies, try asking Naomi Watts how plush her life was while she spent months in a water tank being tossed as if in a washing machine amidst tsunami debris. It's nowhere near as easy as they make it look on screen.

Lezlie

Those who have it easiest are always the first to tell everyone how hard they have it.

Those who really have it hard are usually too tired to talk about it.

R
;-)
.

NOTE:
There are hundreds of thousands of people who take up acting as a hobby - for free!

When there are that many doing mining or subsistence farming as a hobby, I'll believe that acting is in the same league.

Until then......
.

Why is it necessary to demean what others do in order to put a fine point on the struggles of others? Sky, that last comment is so mean it's ridiculous.

Unbelievably, I used to mix up Leo and Matt Damon. Now I can tell them apart: In addition to being a a strong, charismatic, eminently watchable actor, Matt is the grown up. P.S. to Lezlie. I completely understand what you're saying. However, I too work my ass off, and my salary doesn't even amount to the pocket change's pocket change of Naomi Watts.

Lezlie - By no means am I saying that movie acting is easy. Although I don't think anyone in my office has a trailer that they can relax in while the crew sets up the next scene. I have a great respect for stage actors who put on 8 shows/week, usually only having Mondays off. But for all the discomfort that Watts had (let's not forget Martin Sheen suffering a heart attack during Apocolypse Now), she could look at the shooting schedule to see when her washing machine days ended. Acting can have its difficult moments, but let's not confuse that with heavy physical labor.

skypixieo - yeah, you pretty much sum it up.

Lezlie - I'm not demeaning actors. I'm demeaning a pampered fool who worked - from the time he was handed a shooting script to the wrap party -- and I'll be generous here - a total of one year out of two ... oh, hell let's say Leo worked 6 months on each of those 3 movies -- that's 18 months of work out of 24 months. 6 months of down time over two years with the money to do anything he wants. Please give me that work schedule.
Lezlie - asking with true interest- what's your son working on?

cydkatie - My salary is the lint beneath Naomi Watts's pocket change.

Stim, he will soon begin shooting episodes of a pilot he shot for BET (TV) called "Being Mary Jane." He will be delighted to add some actual change to the lint he's been carrying around in his pockets for several months.

Lezlie - Good luck to your son. Here's to a steady paycheck.

It's human nature to grouse about any job you have. Though taking a few years off to get your head together comes easier when you've a mega-million cushion. Despite its rigors, I'd note that aside from professional sports, there's probably no work like acting where the demand for jobs so far outstrips supply.

Abrawang - After waiting 40+ years for an invite to spring training, I've accepted that I'll need to teach myself to throw left-handed in order to compete for a bullpen position.

Ah, Leo doesn't seem to have so hard a life. But maybe it's more about a lack of inspiration? Maybe he doesn't feel motivated anymore...that makes me feel sad for him. Even though I feel even sadder for miners and farmers in hard conditions.

This makes me think "the grass is always greener" and "hooray for mother's love." What does Leo do with his down time? I like the actors, like Dianne Keaton, who have diversified and give back to the world. Even Brad Pitt, though he's gotten a bit weird. So it would be nice if Leo did more than just keep a few servants and a yacht maker employed while he's, as the song said, "Restin'" .

A few thoughts here.. yes the entertainers in the entertainment community often draw in seemingly ridiculous sums - however..

1) they also support numerous everyday working grunts who do their grunt work (I'm talking the bigger names here who trail long entourages in their wakes). For the smaller lights, their agent/s get their share of the juice.

2) they did nothing more than choose a long (way long) time honored profession, which most have to fight and scratch their way into today, trying to shine as 'the one' among the sea of similarly handsome, beautiful, more and not so, talented faces - and often in their early days all of this just for a walk on / bit part. (I'm suspicious that the phrase 'paying your dues' was coined specifically for entertainers trying to become 'a name' as a ten year 'overnight' success story ;).

3) *we* (the all inclusive of course), the paying, gossip hungry public are in great part responsible for those who have the ability to pull in the big bucks, those who's names get scripts green lighted, those who's names 'guarantee' a big box office. WE are solely responsible for the greater part of this - if we didn't follow every little bit and tidbit the salaries/ticket sales/etc might actually sink back to more reasonable levels. And the worst of the gossip rags would disappear and that could only be a plus ;).

Aside from these points, yeah, it's a little disconcerting to listen to someone who's profession has given them a considerable number of gifts saying that they're really tired, have worked hard and are going to take time off - but - no matter what their adoring public thinks, each and every one of them put their pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us, and yes, they get tired of their environment too. It's all relative :).

And Lezlie is right (as usual) that we outside of the spotlight really don't have all that accurate of an idea of what living and working within that environment is really like. Not the least of which is the necessity to actually court public attention, even in the tabloids, when all many of them really want to do is hide behind the stage curtains. Anyone remember the Golden Age stories of old Hollywierd? The arranged *everything* of every aspect of their lives right down to who was dating who and who could be allowed to marry and reproduce without killing their 'golden goose' image?

It's not *quite* that bad today.. Yeah, they live the life of 'the elite', but the emotional/personal price is considerably more than most of us really appreciate ; we think we can understand but we're fooling ourselves if we haven't actually 'been there'.

Rated for now, anyone wanta talk professional sports?

:D

lol he's sure been lucky with roles last few years though.

I feel your pain, Stim, and still I am much more willing to grant a genuine entertainer his millions than some Wall Street bankster or international arms manufacturer, who easily pulls in the same cash by exploiting and slaughtering people. So as far as I'm concerned, Leo & Co. can go off an enjoy their mega-vacations, as long as they promise to make some good movies when they get back. The banksters and arms dealers, not so much.

Excellent points ...hope Leo sees this..
........(¯`v´¯) (¯`v´¯)
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............... *•.¸.•* ♥⋆★•❥ Thanx & Smiles (ツ) & ♥ L☼√Ξ ☼ ♥
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Thanks so much for this...Leo will have to think this statement through again.
........(¯`v´¯) (¯`v´¯)
☼•*¨`*•.¸.(ˆ◡ˆ).¸.•*
............... *•.¸.•* ♥⋆★•❥ Thanx & Smiles (ツ) & ♥ L☼√Ξ ☼ ♥
⋆───★•❥ ☼ .¸¸.•*`*•.♥ (ˆ◡ˆ) ♥⋯ ❤ ⋯ ★(ˆ◡ˆ) ♥⋯ ❤ ⋯ ★R

Algis - You're welcome. I suspect Leo's too wrapped up recovering from the strain of his job to reconsider. "Rich" means never having to say you're sorry.